Do you have a child who is currently in kindergarten? Or do you have a child who is about to enter kindergarten? If yes, then this article is for you. We all know that kindergarten classes prepare a child in different aspects before entering grade school. It is where they meet new people like teachers and classmates who could enhance their social and communications skills. It is also where they learn the numbers, alphabets, and shapes, the basics of reading, writing, counting, and such. There are several pieces of information about kindergarten that we as parents must be aware of to ensure that our child experiences the best.

If you are keen to send your child to a quality preschool, do check out Chiltern House. You should also check Chiltern House Review for an honest review of the school for a better understanding of the school.

Among the things that children learn in kindergarten classes, reading is one of the most important. Schoolahoop will tell us seven important benefits of reading to your kindergarten child.

7 Important Benefits of Reading to Your Kindergarten Child

It is the first day of kindergarten and so many questions are running through your head as a parent. The main question I recall having when dropping off my son for his first day of kinder was:

Is he ready for this?

There wasn’t a manual on things to do when preparing your toddler for kindergarten and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Since then, I have joined our CFBISD family as an advocator and educator in/outside of the classroom.

My colleague and I sat down and had an in-depth discussion on the current classroom expectations for kindergartners and the importance of the parents introducing various experiences while guiding discussions and questioning with young children.

It makes a tremendous difference in the transitioning your child from a toddler to a kindergarten. These experiences can occur by simply reading books to your child. Read more here.

A kid who doesn’t have even just a bit background and knowledge with reading could probably be hard up with learning coping with his/her classmates. However, Gaye Groover Christmus stated in her article below that there are other things worse than not learning to read in class in kindergarten. Let us find out about it by reading her article below.

4 Things Worse Than Not Learning to Read in Kindergarten

The year Sam started kindergarten, he turned 6 in October. He was one of the oldest children in his class, and he didn’t know how to read. When he started first grade he was almost 7, and he still didn’t know how to read. Fortunately for Sam, he entered first grade in 1999. And his teachers, Mrs. Gantt and Mrs. Floyd, didn’t panic if a child didn’t learn to read in kindergarten. In fact, they expected that most children would learn to read in first grade. (They also supported and encouraged children who learned to read easily in kindergarten, like Sam’s brother Ben.)

If Sam had started first grade this year, however, he probably would have been labelled as “slow” or “behind.” Because the new standard is that children should learn to read in kindergarten. Even though most educators know that many children aren’t ready to learn to read until first grade. Even though countries like Finland educate kindergarteners by allowing them to play, not teaching them to academic skills. And even though the new standard causes teachers, parents and even children themselves to worry that something is “wrong” if children aren’t reading when they arrive in the first grade classroom. Read more here.

Everything mentioned above is actually so true. It is normal for a child to be a bit slow with learning things. There should be no big problem with that. In addition, Jessica Smock stated that everything she knows about the kindergarten before is different with the kindergarten now and that is why many kindergartens in Singapore like Chiltern House preschool have a curriculum that caters to the learning needs of different learners, more information can be found at their page here.

Even with a good curriculum, sometimes as parents we also need to whether our child is ready for kindergarten, after all the learning pace of every child is different. Let us read her explanation below.

It’s Okay If Your 5-Year-Old Isn’t Ready for Kindergarten

When people — including his preschool teacher — started telling me that I should wait a year before sending my son to kindergarten (in other words, “redshirt” him), my first reaction was confusion.

He turned 5 during the spring before kindergarten. Five-year-olds go to kindergarten. End of story, right? Sure, he was “young” for his age: He had trouble paying attention during his lessons in preschool and with writing his letters legibly. He showed no sign of interest in learning to read. But, I thought, what in the world would he be doing in kindergarten that was so hard?

When I went to kindergarten in the late 1970s, my classroom had a giant slide and a sandbox. Kindergarten was half-day, and we spent most of our time playing games on the playground, building with blocks, and lying down on our nap mats as our teacher read stories. Read more here.

As time passes by, things really change that is why we shouldn’t expect everything to be the way they usually are. It was easier way back then because there was no much pressure given to children when it comes to learning. Things are incorporated with play that is why children learn faster. They say that the method today is heavier and more complex. With that, we could help our children by practicing them through play and fun and by not letting them feel the pressure and hardships more. Also, if we feel that they still can’t do it, don’t insist. Wait until they are confident that they can do it.

There are several things you ought to consider when looking for a violin teacher to take classes from. Every person has a different learning process and different retention ability; you would want a teacher who would be sensitive to these needs. You require different violin lessons for different stages of your life and learning process. After this, the most important thing required from a violin teacher is his or her musical knowledge, awareness of violin and its mechanics, skills as a player, and how easy it is for him or her to communicate. It is quite understandable that no one person can excel in all these attributes together, but if more than one of these attributes are the teacher’s weakness then it can cause hindrance in your progress.

Different violin teachers are required for different students.

For a student who is just beginning his journey into the world of violins, it is important that the teacher be well aware with the mechanics of violin. Also, if the class begins with an improper setup, that can lead on to become the child’s handicap that most find difficult to overcome. For children as well as beginners, the best teacher is be the one who knows the hand positions that can lead to accurate and fluid playing not just when playing in the classes, but also in the future. The teacher should also be the one who knows what the best body position is that will give you freedom as well as minimize your tension.

Learning is at its best when children are interested. If a child is easily bored or is disinterested, the teacher should be able to bring back the attention by using creativity and clarity while communicating. It is also important for you to look for a teacher who maintains a positive learning attitude and would use only that to teach students.

As you move forward from the beginner’s level to the next level, you may need a new kind of teacher. You need to broaden your horizon and your technique; you also need more repertoire. The teacher should have complete ease with the positions and movements; he or she should also have acquaintance with showpieces, concertos, orchestral excerpts and more. The teacher should possess the quality of progressing from one challenge to another, being able to solve problems all alone as well as together in combination. Communication skills are good to have, but at this stage, it becomes less important. It is also preferable if the teacher is a great player too since at this stage, you start looking for a model to base your sound that is at a maturing stage.

At some stage, every violinist needs a great performer as a teacher. Hearing and watching such a performance is inspiring and can help you get motivated; when words fail, music speaks. It is a big plus point to watch and learn instead of only listening to instructions.

If you are out of school, or if you are starting the lessons again, you need to look for a violin teacher who is known to be an excellent violin player and is also very good at communication. You should look for a teacher who can show amazing demonstrations along with clear instructions that can help you catch up.

The teachers that you choose aid you in teaching violin to yourself. All your habits, that are actually your mistakes repeated over and over again until it became a habit, are recognized by these teachers who help you change them. After that comes the rest.